Cortana confirmed as Windows Phone 8.1's Siri

Halo AI to become your personal assistant in next Windows Phone update.

Cortana will soon be able to help Windows Phone users wake up in the morning, remember important dates in their diary and answer every day questions, Microsoft has confirmed.

Halo's famous AI will soon be available as a personal assistant in the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update and functions similarly to Apple's Siri, helping users organise their life and assist with daily routines.

"Cortana is inspired by real personal assistants, so she acts like one," explained Windows Phone Group Program Manager Marcus Ash. "A great example of this is for travel. Cortana knows when you're planning to travel. She'll track your flight, advise you when to leave early due to bad traffic, inform you of the weather at your destination, and keep you up-to-date on developments. Only Cortana provides 'planners' for preparing for your day in morning and when you're travelling somewhere new."

Microsoft says that she will also be able to "set people-based reminders, like congratulating a friend on their promotion, then present the reminder when they next call, text or email."

Naturally, she'll be voiced by Jen Taylor who played the character in previous Halo titles, but reports suggest that she won't appear in her human form, instead being represented as a blue circle.

"She has a personality and a unique sense of humour - someone you are happy to have on hand at all times," continues Ash. "You can also chit chat with Cortana - ask her where she comes from or when she was born, ask her to sing a song, or ask her about other assistants, and she'll have an answer."

A release date for the Windows Phone 8.1 update has yet to be confirmed.